LAPD

LAPD Holds Anti-Terrorism Drill in South LA

The attacks in Paris changed the way the LAPD is training for a possible terrorist attack.

Hundreds of police officers from around the city, some coming from as far as 60 miles away, rushed to the LA Coliseum for their counterterrorism drill on Thursday, Nov. 19. The purpose of the drill was to gauge their response time, and also to make sure the equipment they would use in an attack was working properly.

"The evolution of this threat is that for many month we've been preparing for a lone wolf," LAPD Deputy Chief Michael Downing said. "And I think we've seen a shift, kind of a game changer here where this is more complex than Mumbai. This is multiple people, multiple targets, creation of chaos, targeting of soft targets."

During a briefing with officers, the LAPD discussed possible soft targets they would be responding to, as well as possible governmental targets. The briefing also went over instructions for how to respond in the eventuality of an attack.

The LAPD does these types of drills routinely throughout the year to stay prepared. They also pay close attention to other attacks that happen both in this country and across the globe to learn and adapt for the future.

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